"We must not allow this to be another forgotten crisis," Mr Ban told
reporters a day after touring the storm-ravaged city of Tacloban.

Mr. Ban said the UN had only achieved 30 percent of the $791 million in
aid it had appealed for for relief efforts in
areas devastated by Typhoon Haiyan last month and is appealing to the donor community, to speed up, and scale up their
support."

The super Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the central Philippines on November 8, 2013,
triggering giant tsunami-like waves that swallowed entire sea-level communities.The
typhoon left 6,102 people dead
and 1,779 others still missing, according tothe most recent government tally.

The JETS (Jewelry on Etsy Team) are not allowing this to become another forgotten disaster and you can help! Check back here for our tally. We are close to reaching our first goal of $1000.00 by January 1st, 2014 and we will keep the campaign running into the New Year. We are currently at $793.00 raised.

All of these jewelry pieces and more, directly benefit relief efforts in the Philippines. You can click from here to purchase or go to Etsy.com and search "JETTEAM Philippines " (no quotation marks) for items that are part of the program.

Friday, November 22, 2013

According to ABC news this morning, Philippine officials say the death toll from one of the strongest
typhoons on record has risen to above 5,000 and is likely to climb further.

Typhoon Haiyan cut a path across eastern and central Philippines on Nov.
8, with some of fastest wind speeds on record. It killed or has left
missing more than 5,000 people and displaced an estimated 4 million
people.

As you can see, the Philippines is mostly islands with the total combined land mass being 115,600, square miles; about the area of less than
half the size of Texas, or the same size as Arizona or New Mexico.

A major international relief mission is underway to help the
survivors, many of whom will be dependent on aid for months and probably years to come.

The Jewelry on Etsy Team stepped up to help the moment the news broke, just as they have in the past for countless disasters and individuals who are in need of help.

You can help us help the Philippines! Shop for a good cause. Here are just a few of the items with proceeds going to relief efforts for victims of Typhoon Haiyan.

A tally will be kept here and funds will be donated through the following organizations:

If you have not fallen in love with Jasper yet, you will now. Jasper comes in every shape, pattern and color imaginable. This necklace showcases some of the prettiest Jasper I have seen.

I am sure you want to see more, and there is lots more jewelry to come! Right now we are at $318.00 reported donations. Please check back for our latest items being donated, an update on the tally, and what shops have started having sales.

Thank you so much for visiting, participating, and caring!
On behalf of the JETs,
Sincerely,
NorahYour Daily Jewels

Monday, November 18, 2013

Many of the JETs are donating profits of their jewelry sales to raise money to help the aid efforts in the Philippines since Typhoon Haiyan made Landfall on November. 8th. The minute the idea was broached to the JET team, members jumped in and the donations have already been rolling in! In just a few days we have raised $301.00. We plan to keep this drive running until the New Year and are hopeful that we can really make a difference.

By now we have all heard the horrific stories and seen heart wrenching photographs of the wreckage and human suffering in the Philippines due to Typhoon Haiyan on November 8th. No need to go through more of this According to NBC News the numbers will give you a good idea of the devastation.

Typhoon Haiyan by the Numbers:

370 miles: The width of Typhoon Haiyan as it surged through the Philippines195 mph: The speed of sustained winds withgusts reaching 235 mph6: The number of times Haiyan made landfall on Nov. 817 feet: The height of the storm surge in Tacloban, the biggest city in the hardest-hit central Philippines27 inches: The most rainfall recorded by NASA’s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission
13 million: The estimated number of people affected by the typhoon, according to a situation report by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affair (OCHA) on Saturday4.9 million: Children affected1.5 million: Children under the age of five who are at risk of Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM), a
measurement of nutritional status used to assess the severity of a humanitarian crisis4,200: The U.N. estimated death toll last Thursday 2 Americans: Identified among the dead, according to the U.S. State Department12,501: The number of individuals injured, according to the Philippine disaster council1,186: Number of those still missing according to the council3 million: The number of people that have been displaced2.5 million: Number of people in need of food assistance, according to U.N. estimates due to “severe logistical difficulties360,000: The number of pregnant and lactating women who need specialized services for prenatal,
postnatal, child health, health promotion and family planning services494,611: Number of homes that have been damaged or destroyed following the typhoon 628: Number of schools sustained damaged, with half the country yet to report

As a team of individuals, many of us have our own ideas of where our donations should go. With this in mind. We are keeping a team tally of donations being made to several different organizations.

However, if you would rather have more fun, and shop for a good cause, keep checking back. I will be posting more of the beautiful jewelry items created by Jet members. You can purchase knowing your money is going to one of the above organizations.Here are the first few items with proceeds being donated to Typhoon Haiyan victims: Lynn for Urban Pearl Studio Sold Two Items Already!

Here is a note Lynn from Urban Pearl Studio received from a customer:

"A few years ago I found Craft Hope for Haiti on Etsy and I wear the necklace I bought then all the time. I was wondering this morning if there was something similar for the Philippines. I have a feeling I will love the items you offered. Double happiness in a time of such devastation."

Once again, the Jet team has come together to show strength in numbers. It is such an honor to be a part of this team. I will be posting a lot more Donation items over the next few weeks.In the meantime you can always visit Etsy.com and search: "JETTEAM PHILIPPINES" (no quotation marks)

A few years ago, I met a man who was a hand engraver
and completely fell in love with the art.

Engraving was a natural
transition for the type of artwork I was already doing. A hand engraver I know was willing to take time to show me a few
pointers to get me started in engraving. I decided right away it was
something I wanted to pursue and purchased the equipment so that I could
get started on my own.

There aren't any people near me who teach
engraving so I'm mostly self taught with a lot of trial and error.
Engraving is something you just have to get the feel for. It takes a
lot of practice and I'm still learning.

I enjoy engraving silver and brass more than other metals.

I'm very inspired by vintage jewelry, the Art Nouveau period and things
found in nature (specifically birds, leaves, insects, etc.). This is why you'll find much of my jewelry depicts natural objects, like the Bee and Tree of Life designs, pictured above.

Most of my business is making pendants but I'm currently working on some
ring designs and finding that I really enjoy that. Engraving rings is
totally different for me than flat pendants.

Engraving is an old art form, and the tools used are the same tools that have been traditionally used by engravers for centuries.

I couldn't do what I do without graver blades for engraving but even
more basic than that is a pencil. All of my engraving starts with
sketches so it's essential!

Of course SOME of the tools are more modern! As you can see, I work while viewing through a microscope, and use modern tools to help me hold the work in a comfortable position as I carefully remove metal a bit at a time.

Engraving gives this antique pocketwatch an entirely different appearance!

Instead of using a brush, pencils or pens to add a design to metal, I use a graver to draw lines, creating my artwork by removing metal. I do this by hand - not with an engraving machine.

Like most people I am always improving my skills and adding new techniques that help me to grow my business by offering new and different items to my customers. I'm currently learning how to solder silver, which will help me create other types of jewelry. I would very much like to learn stone setting and hand cutting with a jeweler's saw.

This is a fairly new business, and I am just learning about social networks. You can find me on Etsy, of course. And Facebook. I have the beginnings of a website, which will grow over time.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Hi! I'm Niranjan, and my shop is named nikhajewelry. I make my jewelry with sterling silver or mixed metals. Much of it is hand stamped. I use diverse methods to create - wire wrapping
and metalwork techniques are both used extensively in my handmade jewelry.

When browsing my shop, you'll find most of my unique jewelry is made with a variety of gemstones, and also many metals, including sterling
silver, genuine copper, brass and bronze components.

I create lots of jewelry that appeals to "nerdy" types; I'm a scientist myself, and my creative inspiration leans toward what I love - earth science, mathematics, chemical composition, gemstones and minerals. I'm a working Geologist, and this background is easy to see in my jewelry!

Here's a great example ... my stamped necklace with a bright, sparkling wire wrapped Peridot briolette. The hand stamped tag is the chemical formula for peridot, or olivine.

Since I was a small child I have been interested in jewelry, gemstones
and minerals. I used to tell my mom that I was gonna be a geologist,
volcanologist, archaeologist and gemologist when I grew up. Learning to
make jewelry was a natural extension of my love of the Earth, minerals,
crystals and jewelry.

My first jewelry making experience was with my Aunt. She used to make knotted and strung necklaces and prayer beads. I
made my first piece with her in 1997. It was a mother of pearl and
iolite necklace.Since then jewelry making has become one of my favorite things to do!

Jewelry can be made with just about anything.

But of course I do have my favorite materials to work with, which include various types of Metal clay - copper, silver, and bronze. I use a lot of sterling silver and copper wire and sheet, and of course gemstones.

I make bracelets, and I also like to create earrings. But my favorite type of jewelry to make is without any doubt my necklaces. I make several different types, but most of what is in my shop right now leans toward my science / geekery genre.

I make a lot of stamped science and math formula
necklaces like the Honey Pi Necklace shown on the right, and my disc cutter is essential for those! Also, my 100 pound
Vulcan anvil is GREAT.

And I absolutely LOVE my lapidary tools. I have been learning to cut my own gemstones (faceted as well as cabs) and have my own equipment to do so. I love it!

Next I want to learn to make my own Mokume Gane billets. Mixed metals are fascinating to me, and Mokume is the ultimate mixed metal art form. I also want to become more experienced with chasing/repousse.

As I mentioned above, I'm currently working as a mining geologist in the state of New Mexico.
I'm an avid rockhound/mineral/fossil collector and love to go hunting
for Earth treasures in my beautiful state. I have one amazing daughter,
a wonderful husband and three quirky cats - Kilauea, Newton and Sugar.
Someday, my husband and I hope to sell my jewelry and his awesome
black-smithed creations full-time, and work for ourselves.

Of course the largest section in my shop is devoted to my bike or Bicycle Chain Jewelry! But lately I've been exploring other jewelry making methods and techniques, and one in particular appeals to me.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Hello! I'm Denise (photo on left). Craig (photo right) and I make everything we sell in our shop, LoveStoneArts. We're new to selling jewelry, though we have made things for many years.

My first pieces of jewelry were not sold but bartered. A girl who was
selling trade beads in a little general store told me what she wanted
made and that I could keep the rest of her beads as payment. No real
sales until our Etsy shop opened in 2011.

Craig and I are both so
generous that we would give you anything you wanted!!

I grew up an avid rock hound and received a rock hammer and cold chisel
for my 8th birthday. It was my absolute favorite gift! I gravitated
to the artists in my circle of family, friends and neighbors.

I'm
incredibly sentimental about pieces of jewelry that hold happy memories
of loved ones. Example, a gorgeous hand drilled turquoise nugget that
my grandma bought me when I was about 4 years old. We got off of the
train in Yuma Arizona where an old Navajo artist had his silver jewelry
displayed on a blanket spread out on the platform. The memory is so
vivid.

Almost every family visit becomes a jewelry workshop. The photo of
Craig has him teaching our nephew Sam how to make a brass spider. All
the kids in our extended family from age 9 up have some soldering
experience.

I began making unglazed stoneware beads to use in macrame and free
form crochet necklaces in my late teens. My good friend was a potter
and her mother was a fiber artist so the "Crazy Bead" necklace was born!

Puka shell necklaces were next- my Hawaiian sister in-law and I collected the
shells on remote stretches of the Kona coast

Then - African trade
beads, I love them to this day!! I learned my earliest techniques from
helpful

ladies in craft stores. I would show them what I had, explain
what I wanted to do, and they would sell me the supplies and demonstrate
the techniques. I tried this with silver soldering in 1990 but never
quite got my momentum. Note- I still have a little silver that I bought
at $15 an ounce!

We have a supplies shop but I have not really launched it. I have been
working on tutorials to feature in this shop. The photos and editing
required are what is slowing me down in getting more supplies listed. Here it is:
www.etsy.com/shop/LoveStoneArtsDIY

You can visit us on Facebook. Please LIKE our page while you're there!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Hello! I'm Jennifer and my Etsy shop is named WearableByDesign. Most of my jewelry is made with fine silver, gold or sterling silver, and many of the pieces feature top quality gemstones. I also enjoy working in metal clay.

I took a jewelry class as an elective while going through a program in
Art and Architecture.

When I got out of school I decided I preferred to
work on a much smaller scale and I loved working in metals. I also
needed to be able to have a skill that is portable as I move around a
lot.

I took my first jewelry making class in college. Later, I took the Jewelry
Technical Intensive at the Revere Academy. I've since taken a few
Master's Symposium classes at the Academy.

Working for myself making jewelry seemed like just the right thing
for me. And I've loved it!

I opened my shop - WearableByDesign on Etsy in May of 2008. I sold my first piece of jewelry in my Etsy shop (pictured at right), and Etsy has become a very important part of my business.

Since that first sale, I've sold many pieces in WearableByDesign. My jewelry is traditional in many ways, though I do have some pieces that could be considered "unusual". They are ALL unique designs that will not be found in chain jewelry stores or in department stores.

If you wear one of my pieces, chances are you'll never see anyone else wearing the same thing!

I was a creative sort of person at a very young age. Like most kids, I made a pair of earrings out of copper wire and beads in elementary school.

They were pretty crude!

But I loved them and never forgot how making my own jewelry gave me a satisfied feeling.

Rings are more personal than other types of jewelry. People bond with rings. My rings are very classic in appearance, but the designs are mine. Some are bands, like the Handmade Silver Squares Ring pictured on the right. I make this style to order in a limited range of sizes.

The band is an embossed sterling
silver shank that measures just over 2 mm wide and architecturally
supports a gallery wire compartment, above which is the platform holding
this spectacular 12mmX10mm tourmaline. This is a unique, one of a kind ring!

Only one is available. Some things just can't be made in multiples.

Like most artisans, I'm inspired to create by my surroundings. With me, its mostly from seeing a new

scene. I can get in a rut so I often go to
museums and travel as often as possible.

Also, other people's work can
inspire me so a trip to a museum I've never been to is exciting!

"Irrigation may not be particularly
interesting or beautiful, but the Alhambra Palace sure is, and so is
this pendant, inspired by the palaces architectural forms. Made from
sterling silver, the
design is a geometrical arabesque – a rhythmic linear pattern of
interlacing tendrils of foliage common in Islamic art."

Just like other jewelry artisans I have my favorite tools ... and for me that would be my rotary hand piece and my engravers ball. These tools are used very often at my bench!I am always expanding my skills and looking for new ways to make my jewelry unique.

The latest techniques I am learning and bringing into my new designs are micro chasing, piercing and repousse. I took a class from Tom Herman of Seven Fingers. His work is just AMAZING!

Next I want to learn more about mechanisms. Anything that is mechanical intrigues me. I've made several pieces that touch on this, and I want to explore this genre.

There are many things you would never expect to see in or as jewelry that are fabulous miniaturized, polished and made into wearable jewelry art. Pictured on the right is my award winningChain Reaction Industrial Gears Necklace, and in my shop there are other examples.

I recently opened a second shop with my Daughter Shannon named SimplyWearable. This shop features smaller, lighter, feminine styles in sterling silver and Argentium silver (tarnish resistant) at a very affordable, lower price point - with the same quality level of design!